David Price Wins American League ERA Title to Cap Cy Young-Caliber Season

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher David Price has won the 2012 American League ERA title after a fantastic season that has earned him consideration for the Cy Young award.

Price ended the year with a 2.56 ERA, which was just edged out by Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw’s mark of 2.53 for the top overall mark by MLB pitchers this season.

The Rays lefty went 20-5 in 31 starts with 205 strikeouts and 59 walks. Price and the Los Angeles Angels' Jered Weaver are the only AL pitchers to win 20 games this season.

Weaver was among several extremely talented pitchers involved in the AL ERA title race. Here are the other players Price beat out.

Player

ERA

David Price

2.56

Justin Verlander

2.64

Jered Weaver

2.81

Chris Sale

3.05

Felix Hernandez

3.06

As the temperature rose in Tampa this summer, Price also continued to heat up, enjoying his best months in July and August.

Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

Coming off what would be his worst monthly ERA mark of the year in June, Price was nearly unstoppable during his five games in July. He won three of his appearances while receiving two no-decisions and had a cumulative ERA of just 1.78.

He continued his success by going 2-1 in five starts with a 2.12 ERA in August. He experienced a slight drop-off in September, but still went 4-0 and kept his ERA low enough to add another accomplishment to his promising career.

The 27-year-old has put together a fantastic three-year stretch, capping it off with the most wins and lowest ERA during any of his five seasons in the majors.

He has been an All-Star each year since 2010, and now he is in the running for more prestigious accolades. The other four pitchers who gave Price a run for the AL ERA title are strong candidates for the Cy Young award, but the Rays pitcher has an extremely compelling case as well.

Whether he wins the award or not, Price is on the rise. He has entered the prime of his career by proving that he can be one of the best pitchers in baseball across a season.

Judging by his age and performances over the past few seasons, this will not be the last time that Price’s name is near the top of the AL ERA list and in Cy Young award conversations.